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The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
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 The author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, gives us The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of short wizard stories. Rowling’s slim new book is more than an exercise designed to raise more millions for her charity, the Children’s High Level Group. The five little stories are excellently crafted imitations of archetypal tales.
Professor Dumbledore bequeathed this collection of fairy tales compiled by a 15th-century bard, the wizard world’s equivalent of the Grimm brothers, to Hermione, with the hope that she would find it entertaining and instructive. Later she reads out from it The Tale of the Three Brothers, a fable about what happens to those who try to cheat Death. This special edition was translated by none other than Hermione Granger, and accompanying each of the five stories are notes by Professor Dumbledore, left to Hogwarts in his will. Fairy tale fans of all ages will enjoy this great collection.
Rowling succeeds in making the collection work on many levels by giving us stories that children and adults alike will enjoy and relate to and by using Dumbledore’s notes to analyse the stories in greater depth and imbue them with additional meaning. Anyone who has read about the history of other fairy tale collections and who knows about the ways in which these tales are often changed throughout history will find these notes particularly interesting.
They are a fun addition, and they provide us with an opportunity to revisit Dumbledore and his wry wisdom. Older children and adults will probably enjoy Dumbledore’s notes, which make up about half of the book, as much as the stories themselves. This is a highly enjoyable book, although many will find it a bit too short. |  Return to Top
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